Planooraph co



R. M. PRICE.

KEY MECHANXSM FOR woouwmns.

{APPLICATION FILED MAR-19f; 1 5118.

1,817,219. Patentfiept. 30,1919.

LL 1; Quorum;

new, 1 wan-14A 1 nnrrnn STATES PATEnr REUBEN M. PRICE, or DELAiIfi, Fromm.

KEY MECHANISM FOR. woon wrrms.

certain notes may be avoided and these notes rendered with ease and facility.

A further object is to enhance the value.

and utility of instruments of this class by simplifying and rendering their manipulation easier.

With these and other objects in View. as will appear as the descriptionproceeds, the invention consists in the details of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed;

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specifica tion, wherein like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the upper or first joint of a clarinet to which the invention has been applied,

Fig. 2 is a projected view of the invention per se,

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional View on llne 33 of Fig. 1, and,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view of a slight modification.

In some of the reed instruments, particularl the clarinet shown at 1 and provided wit the old and well known Boehm system of keys musicians have found one note which is'particularly difficult of rapid execution due to the fingering. This note is high 0 natural, position, second leger line above the staff.

In order to execute this note on the old Boehm system theplayer must close the thumb-hole 2 and open the octave key 3 with the thumb and all fingers of both hands must be raised from the keys. In other words the player must balance the instrument on his thumbs and steady it with his Specification of LettersPatexiti Patented Sept. 30, 1919; Application filed March 29, 1918. Serial No. 225,438.-,

mouth same time orad ust his embouchure every time he attacks thisnote. 3 J i The notes immediately above and [below the high 0 and indeed the whole gamut. are

played with ease as these notes requiretlie use of one or more keys and the player is thus. enabled to support the instruments with his thumbs and ifinger s but when the high a note is struck the adjustment of the players lips-are disturbed as all fingers must be raised.

It is this objectionable featur which .v inventor aims to avoid by the present inven{ tion r To this end, the stems 4;,5 and 6,. which in the Boehm system are provided with rings for the first, second and third fingers respectively, of the left hand, are

terminated short of the corresponding holes 25C, 18 and 26 in the clarinetand are overr1 7 5 den by lugs 7 projecting from rings 8,

9 and ring 9 i p id d aw;

shank li fulcruined at 12 in theusualma'nner, and one end of the shank 11 overrides a pad key 13, pivoted on a pinl l as is'the practice in the art. A spring 15 tends at stronger spring 16 tending to keep the ring 9 elevated and to press the outer end of the part 11 upon the key 13.

The key 13 covers a hole 17 relative in size to the second finger hole 18. The exact size and location of this hole 17 will be determined by experiment but it should be so located as to duplicate the note produced by the hole 18.

The rings 8 and 10 are each provided with a stem 19 and 20 respectively, pivoted in the usual manner on the pin 14. Formed in tegrally with the stems 19 and 20 are' tappet arms 21 and 22 respectively, which overlie the key 13, but are not normally in contact therewith. WVhen the key 13 is open and either of the rings 8 and 10 is depressed the arm 21 or 22 is brought into contact with the key 13 to close it. By this arrangement of key structure it will be seen that when the troublesome high 0 note is reached instead of lifting all the fingers as hereinbefore pointed out, the second finger will be lowered thus gripping the instrument between the thumb and second finger. The ring 9 is consequently depressed and the stem 11 releases the key 13, which under the a ti o op t e syli buti pre e ted, from so p-doing by the superior force "of a action of the spring 15 opens the hole 17 and the desired tone is produced the same as- In Fig. 4 is shown a modification in which a roller 25 or-other antifriction device may be interposed between moving parts and it is to be understood this structure may be used throughout the device.

The device may be used in connection withv a sixring Boehm clarlnet as well as the seven ring. In the latter construction lug 7 attached to'ring 10 may be dispensed with.

In practical operation on the clarinet this device has proved valuable and it has been demonstrated that it is equally applicable to other reed instruments, as for instance the oboe and saxophone.

Although the preferred embodiment of the invention is shown, it is to be understood that slight changes may be made in the device Without departing from or sacrificing aniylof the advantages of the invention.

aving thus described the invention, what I claim 1s:

1. A clarinet having a thumb hole, an octave key operable from the thumb hole, a

finger hole adjacent the thumb hole, and a third hole located to duplicate the note produced at the finger hole; and means responsive to the action of a finger at the finger hole for opening the third hole when the finger hole and the thumb hole are closed, and when the octave key is opened.

2. A clarinet having a thumb hole, an octave key operable from the thumb hole, a pair of finger holes adjacent the thumb hole, and a normally closed third hole located to duplicate the note produced at one finger and a normally closed hole located to duplicate the note produced at one finger hole; means responsive to the action of a finger at one finger hole for opening the normally closed hole when said finger hole and the thumb hole are closed, and when the octave key is opened and independent mechanism selectively responsive to the action of fingers at the other finger holes for closing the partially closed hole when the same has been opened by the action of said means.

REUBEN M. PRICE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner 0: Patents, Washington, D. C. 

